Golden Bay

We recently took a two-hour drive over to Golden Bay, at the northwestern tip of the South Island. At Collingwood, a little village near the bay, we got out to walk around.


Amber's holding Ediza (above), while I'm walking with her (below).


The next day we were fortunate enough to have Peter take us out in his airplane over the Golden Bay region. First, we flew from Nelson over to the tiny town of Karamea on the west coast. We could see sheep grazing on the green hills below and remote lakes tucked away in rugged terrain.


We landed in Karamea, walked down a gravel road to the beach and ate a picnic lunch on the grainy sand. Below is a photo of Peter and Ediza with his 1974 Piper Cherokee airplane. The entire airport we landed at can be seen in the background (yes, it's only those two shed-like buildings).


After lunch, we flew along the coast and watched the hypnotizing waves crash on shore. We wandered over to Kahurangi National Park and then back up the coast, flying over the Farewell Spit (a narrow strip of sand at the very top of the South Island).


I was the co-pilot, while Amber and Ediza sat in the back of the four-person plane. Ediza, being the baby genius that she is, took over the controls briefly.